Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/105



to his arguments in favor of joining in the articles of compact under which the colony was governed; but he was aware that agents of the British government were anxiously inquiring whether troops could be brought from Canada to Fort Vancouver by the Hudson's bay trail, and he knew that although the company, as such, deprecated war, the individuals composing it were as loyal to their government as he to his own.

Under this stress of circumstances, the colonists pro- posed to raise money to pay the expense of a survey of the country towards the south, and to open a road should the survey be successful, which should lead out of the Wall- amet valley towards Fort Hall. A company was accord ingly formed in May, 1846, under the leadership of Levi Scott, which proceeded as far as the southern limit of the Umpqua valley, but was compelled, by the desertion of some of its members as they approached the Rogue river country, to return home.

Jesse Applegate, who from the first had urged the ueces- sity of this exploration, now determined to lead a company in persons, which expedition, as organized, consisted of fifteen men, namely, Jesse Applegate, Levi Scott, Lindsay, Applegate, David Goff, Benjamin Burch, John Scott, Moses Harris, William Parker, Henry Bogus, John Owens, John Jones, Robert Smith, Samuel Goodhue, Bennett Osborne, and William Sportsman, who left rendezvous in Polk county June twenty-second.

By using great vigilance the party passed safely through the Rogue river valley, though they observed signs of a skirmish with the Indians by a much larger party which had started for California two weeks earlier, and had their* horses stolen, being detained in camp until just before the* explorers came up. The Indians, seeing the second com pany, allowed the first to escape; but finding the road- hunters exceedingly wary, made no attempt to molest them, and contented themselves with pursuing the Cali- fornia company to the Siskiyou mountains.